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All the United States Texas Winkler County Wink Sink
Wink Sink is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

Wink Sink

Two massive and unstable sinkholes are yearning to unite, and their consummation could be catastrophic.

Winkler County, Texas

Added By
Tony Dunnell
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Oblique aerial view of Wink Sink 1.   Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin (BEG/JSG/UT)
Oblique aerial view of Wink Sink 1.   Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin (BEG/JSG/UT)
Wink Sink 1 and, to the south, the larger Wink Sink 2   Map Data ©2018 Google
Oblique aerial view of Wink Sink 2.   Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin (BEG/JSG/UT)
Digital elevation model of Wink Sink 2.   Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin (BEG/JSG/UT)
Wink Sink 2.   Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin (BEG/JSG/UT)
Wink Sink 2 and the town of Wink to the southwest   Map Data ©2018 Google
Gate to Wink Sink   ldoucet / Atlas Obscura User
Seen from our plane, an RV-7A on approach   Capt Sandy / Atlas Obscura User
Seen from our small plane on approach to Wink Airport   Capt Sandy / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Two gaping holes in the West Texas desert have long been a concern for local authorities, and that concern only continues to grow as the two holes expand and threaten to converge into one, a collapse that could be catastrophic.

Decades of drilling for oil and gas in this part of Winkler County, especially during the peak years between 1926 and 1964, have resulted in an extremely unstable landscape. Freshwater has found its way deep underground, dissolving interbedded salt layers and in turn creating all kinds of issues, including the two infamous Wink Sinks.

Wink Sink 1 formed on June 3, 1980. At the time of its collapse, it measured 360 feet across and 112 feet deep. Wink Sink 2 was formed on May 21, 2002, about one mile south of Wink Sink 1. It has expanded from its original surface width of 450 feet and now stretches between 607 to 820 feet across.

In the last 10 years, various studies, including research using radar images taken by an orbiting satellite, have made it all too clear that the sinkholes are still expanding, and the ground around them subsiding. Not only could the two existing sinkholes converge into one, new sinkholes could also form.

For now, at least, the residents of the nearby towns of Wink (population 940) and Kermit (population 6,000) seem to be taking the situation in stoic fashion, with no great concern for their immediate futures. Wink Sink 2 is the closest to either town, about a mile northeast of the edge of Wink.

Nonetheless, a collapse could cause plenty of problems even if there is no direct threat to the two towns. The entire area around the two sinkholes is heavily populated with oil and gas production equipment and installations, as well as hazardous liquid pipelines. In other words, a collapse could cause one hell of a mess. Geophysicists continue to monitor the situation.

Related Tags

Geology Sinkhole Environment Holes Disasters

Know Before You Go

Due to the precarious nature of the Wink Sinks, people are not officially allowed to visit them up close, but people do go there nonetheless. Various cuts are visible in the surrounding fences and empty beer cans can often be spotted in the vicinity. It's not advisable, however, as trespassers can be arrested, which will be the least of your problems if you happen to visit when the whole thing collapses.

Community Contributors

Added By

Tony Dunnell

Edited By

hrnick, erjeffery, ldoucet, Meg...

  • hrnick
  • erjeffery
  • ldoucet
  • Meg
  • Capt Sandy

Published

April 16, 2018

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Sources
  • https://www.utpb.edu/ceed/the-wink-sinks-project/about-the-wink-sinks
  • http://www.beg.utexas.edu/research/programs/near-surface-observatory/wink-sink
  • http://blog.smu.edu/research/2016/06/13/geohazard-giant-sinkholes-near-west-texas-oil-patch-towns-are-growing-as-new-ones-lurk/
  • http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/giant-sinkholes-texas-growing-collide-study-article-1.2676778
  • https://www.texastribune.org/2016/07/12/west-texas-county-unfazed-headlines-portending-sin/
  • http://www.lubbockonline.com/texas/2014-02-25/wink-sinkholes-cause-concern-and-wonder
  • http://strangesounds.org/2016/06/two-infamous-sinkholes-expand-wink-kermit-texas-growing-wink-sinkholes-photo-video.html
  • "Radar images show large swath of West Texas oil patch is heaving and sinking at alarming rates", SMU Research News; http://blog.smu.edu/research/2018/03/20/radar-images-show-large-swath-of-texas-oil-patch-is-heaving-and-sinking-at-alarming-rates/
  • "Giant sinkholes near West Texas oil patch towns are growing"; http://blog.smu.edu/research/2016/06/13/geohazard-giant-sinkholes-near-west-texas-oil-patch-towns-are-growing-as-new-ones-lurk/
Wink Sink
Co Rd 201
Winkler County, Texas
United States
31.776883, -103.136128
Get Directions

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